The image source is Pexels.
The Coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc for most startups in 2020. Most businesses had to scale down, and some even closed doors with the hope of living to fight another day. 2021 has been kinder. Many startups are recovering, and now that the year is almost over, you may be looking to scale up your startup business. Scaling up and expanding may mean reaching a broader customer base, crossing state borders, or increasing your business space. All these are milestones that require proper planning and organization to be achieved. So how do you expand your startup business? Expansion should be done while ensuring that you are ready to weather new exciting challenges. After all, what is business without risk?
Utilize Social Media
The importance of social media in today’s world cannot be overstated. Social media has effectively grown businesses with the same vigor that it has torn others to the ground. Social media will improve your business visibility while being the avenue for spreading your good customer service. As a startup business, pooling in influencers to advertise your product can significantly drive up your sales. Brand visibility on social media is also tied to understanding your core business demographic. It would help if you strived to pool in influencers who can reach and speak to your core demographic. Otherwise, you will be writing on the sand.
Continuously Reinvest in and Reinvent Your Brand
Often, as a startup, you may be stuck up about making the next sale, closing the next deal, raking in that profit, that you do not take the time to re-evaluate your investments. While turning profit is essential (it is, after all, the sole purpose of business), the money you put back into your startup should help you grow holistically. It would be most profitable if you invested in your brand, customer experience, and business automation. Your brand is the single most important intangible asset, and a successful brand is the surest way to grow and expand.
Automation of Processes and Services
2020 showed the business community the perks of investing in technology. During state-mandated lock-downs, automation ensured that your startup could run and grow while most workers were at home. Now in 2021, you cannot afford to go back. Instead, you ought to strive to automate further. Automation not only cuts costs but also makes running your startup easier. One new frontier to consider while automating services is the Kubernetes container service and container orchestration.
Container orchestration is useful for automating:
- Your resource allocation
- Configuring and scheduling work loads
- Managing container availability based on available workloads across your various infrastructure
- Maintaining security between container interactions
- Balancing your workload and routing traffic based on the load
- Configuring the different applications in your business based on the container that they run
The aws eks is your go-to choice if you want to get all the benefits of container orchestration without having to worry about installing and operating the system. It is also easily scale-able, and you can grow with it as you grow your business.
Establish and Build Lifelong Relationships to Expand Your Startup Business
As a startup, you should offer your customers, team, and potential buyers as someone you intend to grow with. A good product and a strong relationship with your clientele will prove to be a valuable investment. One of the ways to expand your startup business is to put people first. Having customer trust, investing in customer interactions, and retaining customers is the fastest way to grow. Even without having vigorous ad campaigns (and data has shown that many consumers do not trust ads anymore), a loyal clientele will broaden your customer base through word of mouth. As a startup, do not just offer your product; instead, strive to offer an experience and watch our business grow.
Know Your Core Clientele and Focus on Them
While most startup businesses start well, most often lose the appeal that brought in the first customer. Knowing and connecting with your core demographic will ensure that you never run out of business. It would help if you also directed your marketing strategy towards your core clientele. To understand your clientele, you have to understand their spending habits, what makes them tick, and most importantly, what will keep them returning. You also should invest in a friendly customer service platform and treat all persons walking through your doors as potential customers.
Conclusion to Expand Your Startup Business
As business looks up in 2021, try to expand your startup business and scaling up is a top priority. Investing in your business, in your customer experience, and automating your services is the surest way to expand. As you expand, make an effort not to lose your edge competitiveness and in all you do, stick to your brand.